In-list search results page for price research

ABSTRACT

A method of setting a listing price for an item is disclosed. One or attributes of the item are determined based on data entered into fields of a listing user interface. One or more additional items are identified based on a comparison of one or more attributes of the one or more additional items with the one or more attributes of the item. Sales information associated with the one or more additional items is determined. A range of suggested prices and at least some of the sales information is incorporated into a selection user interface region of the listing user interface. Based on a selection of a suggested price from the range of suggested prices, a preview of the listing as it would appear in a search results page with the one or more additional items is presented in the listing user interface.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates generally to the technical field ofspecialized computer processes for enhancing user interfaces, and, inone specific example, to enhancing a user interface of a mobile devicefor posting a listing of an item on a network-based publication system,the enhancing including providing a supplemental user interface or userinterface element for doing price research or price selection on theitem such that a user need not exit the user interface during a postingflow to access a separate user interface.

BACKGROUND

A network-based publication system; such as eBay, Amazon.com, orCraigslist, may feature listings of items (e.g., goods or services). Thelistings may be posted by a member of the network-based publicationsystem (e.g., a seller) and surfaced via one or more user interfaces toother members or users of the network-based publication system (e.g.,potential buyers). It can be technical challenge for a network-basedpublication system to provide information to a user that is relevant oruseful with respect to a posting of a listing of an item without causingthe corresponding user interface(s) to become cumbersome to the user,including when causing presentation of the user interface(s) on a mobiledevice of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram depicting a client-server system withinwhich various example embodiments may be deployed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating multiple server applicationsthat, in various example embodiments, are provided as part of thenetworked system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating example modules of the pricingapplication{s} of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating example operations of a method ofenhancing one or more listing user interfaces of a network-basedpublication with user interface elements to facilitate setting a listingprice for an item from within the one or more listing user interfaces.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of an example listing posting user interface,

FIG. 6 is a screenshot of an example pricing research user interface.

FIG. 7 is a screenshot of an example user interface for presenting apreview of a search result that includes a reference to a listing of anitem that is to be listed.

FIG. 8 is a listing of examples of metadata that may be used forfiltering or sorting data included the preview or pricing research userinterfaces described herein.

FIG. 9 is a screenshot of an example user interface for visualizing itemprices.

FIG. 10 is a screenshot of example price visualizations that may bepresented to the user as insights (e.g., via the other user interfacesdescribed herein).

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computersystem within which instructions for causing the machine to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding ofvarious embodiments of the present subject matter. It will be evident,however, to those skilled in the art that various embodiments may bepracticed without these specific details.

In example embodiments, a listing user interface of a network-basedpublication system includes a region for selecting a suggested listingprice for the item from a range of selected list prices. The listinguser interface is enhanced (e.g., with one or more supplemental userinterfaces or user interface elements) such that the listing userinterface provides insights into the effects of choosing a particularsuggested price from a range of suggested list prices. Such effects mayinclude a time period for selling the item being increased or reduced ora listing for the item being promoted or buried within a search resultspage corresponding to a search for the item. The user can view theseeffects (or insights) from within the listing user interface so as to beable to make an informed decision as to how a selection of a particularlist price is likely to impact the sale of the item. The insights may bepresented in a user interface widget, such as in an interactive graphhaving selectable prices from the range of suggested prices. In exampleembodiments, information pertaining to previous sales of the same orsimilar items may be included in the user interface widget. In somecircumstances, such as when there is no data for previously-sold itemsthat exactly match the listing item, attributes of the items may becompared to previously-sold items and the suggested listing price forthe item may be adjusted up or down based on differences between theattributes. In example embodiments, supply and demand information may beincorporated into the suggestion and presented in the user interface toallow the user to better understand the reasons for the suggestions, aswell as to more easily select a particular price for an item to belisted. In this way, a user may be able to use the listing userinterface enhancement to select an optimal price for the item withouthaving to exit the listing user interface to perform additional pricingresearch (e.g., using a separate application or user interface).

A method of facilitating a setting of a listing price for an item isdisclosed. One or attributes of the item are determined based on dataentered into fields of a listing user interface. One or more additionalitems are identified based on a comparison of one or more attributes ofthe one or more additional items with the one or more attributes of theitem, each of the one or more additional items having been previouslysold. Sales information associated with the one or more additional itemsis determined. The sales information includes sales prices of the one oradditional items and sales time periods of the one or more additionalitems. A range of suggested prices and at least some of the salesinformation is incorporated into a selection user interface region ofthe listing user interface. Based on a selection of a suggested pricefrom the range of suggested prices, a preview of the listing as it wouldappear in a search results page with the one or more additional items ispresented in the listing user interface.

This method and various operations disclosed herein may be implementedas a computer system having one or more modules (e.g., hardware modulesor software modules) that are specially designed and incorporated intothe computer system to perform this method or one or more of theoperations described herein. This method and various operationsdisclosed herein may be embodied as instructions stored on amachine-readable medium that, when executed by a machine, cause themachine to perform the method or one or more of the various operations.

The methods and various operations disclosed herein provide specificimprovements over prior art systems, including, for example, improvingthe speed at which a user can make an informed decision regardingpricing of items to be listed on a network-based publication system. Forexample, the various supplemental user interfaces or user interfaceelements described herein may be presented to a user during a listingflow such that the user does not have to navigate away from a userinterface associated with the listing flow. Additionally, the varioussupplemental user interfaces or user interface elements described hereinmay include a limited set of data (e.g., insights), each of which may beselectable to, for example, set a listing price or other attribute forinclusion in an item-listing user interface. In this way, the speed ofthe user's navigation of various user interfaces associated with anetwork-based publication system may be improved.

Additionally, the methods and various operations disclosed hereinprovide specific computer resource utilization over prior art systems.For example, by combining pricing research with a listing flow (e.g.,via combinations of user interfaces and user interface elements), theprocessing power, memory, bandwidth, and other resources of thenetwork-based publication system may be reduced because a user is ableto combine two separate tasks into one. For example, the methods andoperations disclosed herein allow users to perform item listing and itemresearch functions together, instead of by invoking separate processesinvoking additional instances of a web browser to communicate with thenetwork-based publication system to perform the tasks separately). Inthis way, an overall amount of resources needed on the network-basedpublication system to accomplish the same tasks, especially whenmultiplied across many users (e.g., hundreds of thousands or millions ofusers).

FIG. 1 is a network diagram depicting a system 100 within which variousexample embodiments may be deployed. A networked system 102, in theexample forms of a network-based marketplace or other publicationsystem, provides server-side functionality, via a network 104 (e.g., theInternet or Wide Area Network (WAN)) to one or more clients machines110. FIG. 1 illustrates client application(s) 112 on the client machines110. Examples of client application(s) 112 may include a web browserapplication, such as the Internet Explorer browser developed byMicrosoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. or other application supportedby an operating system of the device, such as Windows, iOS or Androidoperating systems. Each of the client application(s) 112 may include asoftware application module (e.g., a plug-in, add-in, or macro) thatadds a specific service or feature to a larger system.

An API server 114 and a web server 116 are coupled to, and provideprogrammatic and web interfaces respectively to, one or more applicationservers 118. The application servers 118 host one or more serverapplication(s) 120. The application servers 118 are, in turn, shown tobe coupled to one or more database servers 124 that facilitate access toone or more databases 126 or data stores, such as NoSQL ornon-relational data stores.

The applications 120 may provide a number of marketplace functions andservices to users that access the networked system 102. While theapplications 120 are shown in FIG. 1 to form part of the networkedsystem 102, in alternative embodiments, the various applications 120 mayform part of a service that is separate and distinct from the networkedsystem 102.

Further, while the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 employs a client-serverarchitecture, various embodiments are, of course, not limited to such anarchitecture, and could equally well find application in a distributed,or peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The various serverapplications 120 could also be implemented as standalone softwareprograms, which do not necessarily have networking capabilities.Additionally, although FIG. 1 depicts machines 110 as being coupled to asingle networked system 102, it will be readily apparent to one skilledin the art that client machines 110, as well as client applications 112,may be coupled to multiple networked systems, such as paymentapplications associated with multiple payment processors or acquiringbanks (e.g., PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express).

Web applications executing on the client machine(s) 110 may access thevarious applications 120 via the web interface supported by the webserver 116. Similarly, native applications executing on the clientmachine(s) 110 may accesses the various services and functions providedby the applications 120 via the programmatic interface provided by theAPI server 114. An example of one of the client application(s) 112 maybe a seller application (e.g., the TurboLister application developed byeBay Inc., of San Jose, Calif.) that enables sellers to author andmanage listings on the networked system 102 in an off-line manner, andto perform batch-mode communications between the client application(s)112 and the networked system 102. Other examples of clientapplication(s) 112 may be third-party applications. For example, thethird-party applications may, utilizing information retrieved from thenetworked system 102, support one or more features or functions on awebsite hosted by the third party. The third-party website may, forexample, provide one or more promotional, marketplace or paymentfunctions that are supported by the relevant applications of thenetworked system 102.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating multiple server applications 120that, in various example embodiments, are provided as part of thenetworked system 102. The server applications 120 may be hosted ondedicated or shared server machines (not shown) that are communicativelycoupled to enable communications between server machines. The serverapplications 120 themselves are communicatively coupled (e.g., viaappropriate interfaces) to each other and to various data sources, so asto allow information to be passed between the server applications 120 soas to allow the server applications 120 to share and access common data.The server applications 120 may furthermore access one or more databases126 via the database servers 124.

The networked system 102 may provide a number of publishing, listing andprice-setting mechanisms whereby a seller may list (or publishinformation concerning) goods or services for sale, a buyer can expressinterest in or indicate a desire to purchase such goods or services, anda price can be set for a transaction pertaining to the goods orservices. To this end, the server applications 120 are shown to includeat least one publication application 200 and one or more auctionapplications 202 which support auction-format listing and price settingmechanisms (e.g., English, Dutch, Vickrey, Chinese, Double, Reverseauctions etc.). The various auction applications 202 may also provide anumber of features in support of such auction-format listings, such as areserve price feature whereby a seller may, specify a reserve price inconnection with a listing and a proxy-bidding feature whereby a biddermay invoke automated proxy bidding.

A number of fixed-price applications 204 support fixed-price listingformats (e.g., the traditional classified advertisement-type listing ora catalogue listing) and buyout-type listings. Specifically, buyout-typelistings (e.g., including the Buy-It-Now (BIN) technology developed byeBay Inc., of San Jose, Calif.) may be offered in conjunction withauction-format listings, and allow a buyer to purchase goods orservices, which are also being offered for sale via an auction, for afixed-price that is typically higher than the starting price of theauction.

Store applications 206 allow a seller to group listings within a“virtual” store, which may be branded and otherwise personalized by andfor the seller. Such a virtual store may also offer promotions,incentives and features that are specific and personalized to a relevantseller.

Reputation applications 208 allow users that transact, utilizing thenetworked system 102, to establish, build and maintain reputations,which may be made available and published to potential trading partners.Consider that where, for example, the networked system 102 supportsperson-to-person trading, users may otherwise have no history or otherreference information whereby the trustworthiness and credibility ofpotential trading partners may be assessed. The reputation applications208 allow a user (e.g., through feedback provided by other transactionpartners) to establish a reputation within the networked system 102 overtime. Other potential trading partners may then reference such areputation for the purposes of assessing credibility andtrustworthiness.

Personalization applications 210 allow users of the networked system 102to personalize various aspects of their interactions with the networkedsystem 102. For example a user may, utilizing an appropriatepersonalization application 210, create a personalized reference page atwhich information regarding transactions to which the user is (or hasbeen) a party may be viewed. Further, a personalization application 210may enable a user to personalize listings and other aspects of theirinteractions with the networked system 102 and other parties.

The networked system 102 may support a number of marketplaces that arecustomized, for example, for specific geographic regions. For instance,a version of the networked system 102 may be customized for the UnitedKingdom, whereas another version of the networked system 102 may becustomized for the United States. Each of these versions may operate asan independent marketplace, or may be customized (or internationalized)presentations of a common underlying marketplace. The networked system102 may accordingly include a number of internationalizationapplications 212 that customize information (and/or the presentation ofinformation) by the networked system 102 according to predeterminedcriteria (e.g., geographic, demographic or marketplace criteria). Forexample, the internationalization applications 212 may be used tosupport the customization of information for a number of regionalwebsites that are operated by the networked system 102 and that areaccessible via respective web servers 116.

Navigation of the networked system 102 may be facilitated by one or morenavigation applications 214. For example, a search application (as anexample of a navigation application) may enable keyword searches oflistings published via the networked system 102. A browse applicationmay allow users to browse various category, catalogue, or inventory datastructures according to which listings may be classified within thenetworked system 102. Various other navigation applications may beprovided to supplement the search and browsing applications.

In order to make listings available via the networked system 102 asvisually informing and attractive as possible, the marketplaceapplications 120 may include one or more imaging applications 216, whichusers may utilize to upload images for inclusion within listings. Animaging application 216 also operates to incorporate images withinviewed listings. The imaging applications 216 may also support one ormore promotional features, such as image galleries that are presented topotential buyers. For example, sellers may pay an additional fee to havean image included within a gallery of images for promoted items.

Listing creation applications 218 allow sellers to conveniently authorlistings pertaining to goods or services that they wish to transact viathe networked system 102, and listing management applications 220 allowsellers to manage such listings. Specifically, where a particular orpredetermined seller has authored and/or published a large number oflistings, the management of such listings may present a challenge. Thelisting management applications 220 provide a number of features (e.g.,auto-relisting, inventory level monitors, etc.) to assist the seller inmanaging such listings. The listing creation application 218 and listingmanagement applications 220 may allow sellers to manage listing in bulk(e.g., in a single operation, such as by an uploading of a file) andprovide templates for sellers to manage category-specific,vendor-specific, or general-type-specific (e.g., catalog or ticket)listings. One or more post-listing management applications 222 alsoassist sellers with a number of activities that typically occurpost-listing. For example, upon completion of an auction facilitated byone or more auction applications 202, a seller may wish to leavefeedback regarding a particular or predetermined buyer. To this end, apost-listing management application 222 may provide an interface to oneor more reputation applications 208, so as to allow the seller toconveniently provide feedback regarding multiple buyers to thereputation applications 208.

Dispute resolution applications 224 provide mechanisms whereby, disputesarising between transacting parties may be resolved. For example, thedispute resolution applications 224 may provide guided procedureswhereby the parties are guided through a number of operations in anattempt to settle a dispute. In the event that the dispute cannot besettled via the guided procedures, the dispute may be escalated to athird-party mediator or arbitrator.

A number of fraud prevention applications 226 implement fraud detectionand prevention mechanisms to reduce the occurrence of fraud within thenetworked system 102.

Messaging applications 228 are responsible for the generation anddelivery of messages to users of the networked system 102. Thesemessages may, for example, advise users regarding the status of listingsat the networked system 102 (e.g., providing “outbid” notices to biddersduring an auction process or providing promotional and merchandisinginformation to users). Respective messaging applications 228 may utilizeany one of a number of message delivery networks and platforms todeliver messages to users. For example, messaging applications 228 maydeliver electronic mail (e-mail), instant message (IM), Short MessageService (SMS), text, facsimile, or voice (e.g., Voice over IP (VoIP))messages via the wired (e.g., the Internet), Plain Old Telephone Service(POTS), or wireless (e.g., mobile, cellular, WiFi, WiMAX) networks.

Merchandising applications 230 support various merchandising functionsthat are made available to sellers to enable sellers to increase salesvia the networked system 102. The merchandising applications 230 alsooperate the various merchandising features that may be invoked bysellers, and may monitor and track the success of merchandisingstrategies employed by sellers.

The networked system 102 itself, or one or more parties that transactvia the networked system 102, may operate loyalty programs that aresupported by, one or more loyalty/promotion applications 232. Forexample, a buyer may earn loyalty or promotions points for eachtransaction established and/or concluded with a particular orpredetermined seller, and may be offered a reward for which accumulatedloyalty points can be redeemed.

Pricing application(s) 234 may include one or more applications forenhancing a listing user interface (e.g., for one or more of the listingcreation applications 218, listing management applications 220, orpost-listing management applications 222) with one or more user elementsfor researching, specifying, or selecting a listing price for an item,as described in more detail below.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating example modules of the pricingapplication(s) 234. An attributes module 302 may be configured todetermine one or more attributes of an item that a user intends to liston the network-based publication system. A matching module 304 may beconfigured to identify one or more additional items that correspond tothe item, such as one or more items that are currently listed on thenetwork-based publication system or one or more items that werepreviously-sold on the network-based publication system (e.g., within aparticular time period). A sales information module 306 may beconfigured to determine sales information associated with the one ormore additional items, such as, for previously-sold items, their listingprice(s) or the amount of time the items were listed before they sold. Asuggestion module 308 may be configured to provide a range of suggestedprices into a selection user interface region of the listing userinterface. A preview module 310 may be configured to cause a preview ofa search results listing to be displayed that shows how the item wouldappear in the search results page with listings of the one or moreadditional (e.g., similar) items. The preview may highlight reasons thatthe search results listing for the item appears where it does relativeto the additional items or reasons that the range of suggested prices islower or higher than the additional items. For example, the preview mayhighlight differences in values of attributes of the item specified inthe listing for the item in comparison to listings of other similaritems, as explained in more detail below. A price setting module 312 maybe configured to set the listing price for the item at one of thesuggested listing prices (e.g., based on a selection by the user).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating example operations of a method 400 ofenhancing one or more listing user interfaces of a network-basedpublication with user interface elements to facilitate setting a listingprice for an item from within the one or more listing user interfaces.In various embodiments, the operations may be performed by one or moremodules of the pricing application(s) 234.

At operation 402, one or more attributes of an item are determined andone or more values of the one or more attributes of the item aredetermined. For example, based on information provided by a user aboutthe item in the one or more listing user interfaces, such as informationentered by the user in the title, photos, description, aspects, or otherfields of the one or more listing user interfaces, the item isidentified. For example, the information provided by the user iscompared against one or more databases of items previously listed orsold on the network-based publication system to identify additionalitems having a value for a strength of similarity to the item thattransgresses a similarity threshold value. Additionally, one or moreattributes of the item, which may include attributes not specified bythe user in the one or more listing user interfaces, are identified fromthe one or more databases of items. For example, item information storedin the one or more databases may show that previously- orcurrently-listed items meeting the similarity threshold (e.g.,additional items having the same type or being associated with a samecategory as the item being listed by the user) have been associated withparticular attributes, such as color or size. Additionally, valuespreviously-specified for the identified attributes may be determined andanalyzed to determine possible sets or ranges of values for eachattribute. In example embodiments, values of attributes of the specificitem that is to be listed are identified directly or inferred from theinformation about the item that is provided by the user in the one ormore listing user interfaces. For example, the value of a colorattribute of the item may be inferred from the user specifying aspecific color e.g., red or blue) in the title of the item that is to belisted. As another example, the value of a size attribute of the item(e.g., size eight or size 10) may be determined from data entered by theuser into a size field of the one or more listing user interfaces.

At operation 404, one or more additional items are identified. Inexample embodiments, the one or more additional items are a subset ofpreviously- or currently-listed items that would be most likely toappear in a search results page corresponding to the to-be-listed item.A determination of whether an additional item would appear in the searchresults page may be based on keywords typically entered by users whensearching for the to-be-listed item. In example embodiments, abackground search may be performed on the one or more databases ofpreviously- or currently-listed items (or a combination of the one ormore databases) using the identified keywords. The additional items maythen be identified based on how closely they would appear in the searchresults in relation to the to-be-listed item (e.g., within certainnumber of positions of the to-be-listed item, on the same page as theitem, and so on).

At operation 406, sales information associated with the one or moreadditional items is determined. For example, for items of the one ormore additional items that have been previously-sold, informationpertaining to the sales transaction is analyzed, including sales price,time-to-sale, sale type (e.g., auction, but it now, and so on),condition of item (e.g., new or used), sale conditions (e.g., freereturns, returns accepted, and so on), type of seller (e.g., authorizedseller or non-authorized seller), deals or coupons (e.g., discountsprovided to the buyer), and so on. In example embodiments, the salesinformation may also include values of attributes of the items, such ascolor, size, or other attributes, including attributes that may affectpricing of the to-be-listed item relative to previously-sold orcurrently-listed items, as explained in more detail below.

At operation 408, a range of suggested prices for the to-be-listed itemare incorporated into a selection user interface region of the one ormore listing user interfaces (or the range of suggested prices isincorporated into a pop-up, slide-window, or other additional userinterface or user interface element). In example embodiments, insightspertaining to the range of suggested prices are also included in theuser interface region or element (or in a separate, supplement userinterface). In example embodiments, the insights provide informationpertaining to the predicted impact of selecting one of the suggestedprices (or otherwise modifying a value of an attribute of the item inthe listing posting user interface) with respect to a potential sale ofthe to-be-listed item. In example embodiments, values of attributes ofthe to-be-listed item that have been identified or inferred from theinformation specified by the user about the item are compared againstvalues of attributes of previously-listed and/or currently-listed itemshaving a similarity to the to-be-listed item that transgresses athreshold similarity value. In example embodiments, differences invalues of attributes between the to-be-listed item and previously-solditems may be analyzed to determine how the differences are likely toaffect a transaction for the sale of the to-be-listed item. For example,based on an analysis of previously-sold items having a thresholdsimilarity to the to-be-listed item, the impact of the identifiedcondition of the to-be-listed item (e.g., new or used) may beincorporated into the range of suggested sales prices. In exampleembodiments, up to every value of up to every attribute of theto-be-listed item is analyzed to determine how it is likely to affect atransaction for the sale of the to-be-listed item, such as whether eachvalue of each attribute is likely to increase or decreases the ultimatesales price of the to-be-listed item, the time-to-sale of theto-be-listed item, and so on.

In example embodiments, one or more differences in attributes that maybe causing the seller's item to have a range of selected prices that aregenerally lower than other items showing at higher order in the previewmay be highlighted. For example, if the seller is listing an iPhone withmemory 32 GB, the preview module may point out to seller (e.g., throughhighlighting or other visual indication related to the value for thememory attribute of the item within the preview) that such a listingshould be priced lower than the other similar listings that have morememory, say 256 GB.

Additionally, a recommendation may be provided within the preview to addone or more relevant missing attributes or keywords to the listing thatmay be causing the seller's item to have a range of recommended pricesthat are lower than other items appearing at higher order in thepreview. For example, if the seller is listing an iPhone with pink asthe color, AT&T as the carrier, and 32 GB as the memory, but the sellerdid not include carrier/unlocked information in the listing, the previewmodule may be configured to point out to seller that such listing shouldinclude a “Carrier” attribute with an “Unlocked” value. For example,this recommendation may be provided within the preview and based on adetermination that an unlocked AT&T carrier phone is more popular withbuyers (e.g., based on previous search keywords entered) than a fixed(AT&T) carrier phone or based on a determination that more interest hasshown by buyers with respect to unlocked phones when they are presentedinterested buyers within a set of similar listings (e.g., based onmonitored user behavior with respect to previous search listings). Thepreview may provide a visual indication of how the ranking or suggestedrange of prices for the item would change of the recommended attributeand value was added to the listing for the item.

At operation 410, a preview of a search result that includes theto-be-listed item is caused to be displayed in a user interface on adevice of the user. In example embodiments, the search result ispresented in a search results user interface as it would appear to auser who searches for the item using typical (or user-specified)keywords associated with the item. In example embodiments, the previewincludes the to-be-listed item and other items matching the keywords,sorted or filtered by relevance, price, or other sorting and filteringcriteria (e.g., as specified by the user). In example embodiments, theother items are currently-listed items. In other embodiments, the otheritems are items that have been listed in the past. In other embodiments,the other items are combinations of items that are currently-listed orhave been listed in the past. In example embodiments, a determination ofwhether to include items listed in the past may be based on a number ofitems that match the keywords specified in the search query being lessthan a predetermined minimum number of search items. In this way, thesearch result may not only be representative of how the to-be-listeditem would appear in the search results at or near the time of posting,but also how the to-be-listed item is likely to appear at a later time(e.g., if and when listings of additional similar items are posted). Inexample embodiments, the search result may be configured to show how theitem would have appeared in the search result at a predetermined time inthe past (e.g., excluding currently-listed items). The various optionsfor sorting, filtering, or specifying any of the threshold valuesincluded herein, may be accessible for setting by the user from userinterface elements associated with the preview (e.g., a settings icon).

In example embodiments, the preview of the search result is presentedduring the listing flow associated with the one or more listing postinguser interfaces. For example, the preview may be presented as part of aflow in the listing posting user interface in which the user specifies aprice for the item or selects a suggested price for a set of suggestedprices for the item. In example embodiments, the search result isoverlaid or otherwise popped up over the listing posting user interfacesuch that the listing posting user interface is at least partiallyobscured. Focus of the device may switch to the search result page untilthe user closes the search result page to return to the listing postinguser interface. In this way, the user may view how a particularselection in the listing posting user interface, such as a selection ofa suggested price from a range of selected prices, is likely- to affectthe way in which the listing for the item will appear to users who entera search having keywords that are associated with the item.

In example embodiments, the preview may be displayed upon a value of anattribute, such as a listing price for the item, being entered (orselected for entering) into a field of the listing posting userinterface. An additional action by the user, such as clicking on ortapping the preview may cause the preview to close and/or for focus tobe returned to the posting listing user interface. In exampleembodiments, the preview may only partially obscure the listing postinginterface and/or the focus may not change to the preview, allowing theuser to continue making changes to values in user interface fields ofthe underlying posting user interface while the preview is displayed. Inexample embodiments, any change to values in the fields of the postinguser interface may be automatically reflected in the preview of thesearch results page for the item (e.g., such that the user may view thepreview dynamically or in real-time while making changes to values inthe user interface fields used for the posting of the listing of theitem).

In example embodiments, insights are provided in the preview pertainingto comparisons between the values of the attributes of the to-be-listeditem and the values of attributes of previously- or currently-listeditems. For example, if the to-be-listed item has a value of “used” forthe condition attribute of the item, whereas one of the other itemsappearing in the preview has a value of “new” for the attribute of thecondition item, this difference may be highlighted in the preview (e.g.,using font changes, icons, or other graphical elements to show thedifference). Additionally, a recommendation of a change to a value of anattribute of the item may be provided in response to the identificationof the difference between the to-be-listed item and the previously- orcurrently-listed items. For example, based on the identification of thedifference in condition of the item, a recommendation may be provided inthe preview to select a lower starting price for the item. Therecommendation (e.g., how much to increase or decrease the listingprice) may be based on whether or how much the change will likelyimprove a position of the item relative to other items included in thepreview of the search results. Additionally or alternatively, therecommendation may be based on historical transaction data pertaining tothe currently- or previously-listed items. In example embodiments,insights pertaining to how various changes to the listing of the itemare predicted to affect aspects of the sales transaction, such as thetime-to-sale of the item, are also included in the preview, as describedin more detail below.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of an example listing posting user interface. Asdepicted, the listing flow of the listing posting user interfaceincludes, among other things, specifying a type of sale to associatewith listing (e.g., auction or non-auction), specifying a price for theitem, specifying whether to enable an “easy pricing” feature, andspecifying whether to enable a “Buy It Now” feature. As part of thelisting flow, the user may activate an activatable user interfaceelement (e.g., a link, icon, or other graphical element) to invoke anadditional user interface or user interface element that provides helpin setting an initial price for the item,

FIG. 6 is a screenshot of an example pricing research user interfacethat may, for example, be overlaid over the listing posting userinterface or otherwise made accessible while the user is in the flow ofposting a listing for an item. In example embodiments, the examplepricing research user interface includes a dynamic summary oftransaction data pertaining to similar items that have been previouslysold on the network-based publication system. In the depicted example,the similar items are determined to be items in a same category as theitem that is to be listed (e.g., the video games category). In exampleembodiments, the user may activate a selectable user interface (e.g., a“Video Games” category link) to customize the threshold of similaritythat is used for the pricing research (e.g., by specifying more specificcategories, keywords, ranges of values of attributes, and so on) suchthat greater or lesser degrees of similarity are used for the pricingresearch. In example embodiments, ranges of values of attributes ofitems having the specified degree of similarity are presented, such asaverage sales prices, average list prices, and so on. In exampleembodiments, these ranges are modified in real-time if the userspecifies a different degree of similarity). In example embodiments,sales information pertaining to items having the specified degree ofsimilarity may be viewable by selectable value and attributecombinations. For example, for the attribute “condition,” selectablevalues in the range of “new” and “used” may be identified and presentedin the user interface. These selectable value and attribute combinationsmay then be cross-referenced against other values and attributes, suchas price. In example embodiments, the range of values for across-referenced attribute may be presented as selectable elements(e.g., within a bar graph, as depicted). In example embodiments, asuggested price may be provided (e.g., a price below the peak pricepoint in the graph). In example embodiments, a selection of one of theselectable elements of the range of values for the attribute may causethe value to be selected and entered automatically into an appropriatefield of the underlying listing posting user interface. Thus, forexample, selecting the $7 price from the range of selectable prices inthe pricing research user interface may cause the pricing research userinterface to close and the $7 price to be entered into the price fieldof the underlying listing posting user interface.

FIG. 7 is a screenshot of an example user interface for presenting apreview of a search result that includes a reference to a listing of anitem that is to be listed. In this example, the preview search resultdepicts where a listing for a Minecraft product would appear in relationto other products that would likely appear in a search for the Minecraftproduct. As explained above, the preview may be sorted or filtered byuser specified criteria, such as relevance or list price, or any othercriteria. Any differences between the to-be-listed item and thecurrently- or previously-listed items may be highlighted.Recommendations for changing values of attributes of the to-be-listeditem, including the starting price for the item, may be provided (e.g.,to improve a position of the reference to the item in the search resultsor a time-to-sale of the item). Additionally, changes to any fields ofthe underlying listing user interface may be reflected in the previewsuch that the user can view (e.g., in real-time), how the changes wouldaffect the search result that includes a reference to the to-be-listeditem.

FIG. 8 is a listing of examples of metadata that may be used forfiltering or sorting data included the preview or pricing research userinterfaces described herein. In example embodiments, items may befiltered or sorted by flexibility of the seller (e.g., whether theseller offer free returns or whether the seller accepts returns),whether the seller is an authorized seller, whether the items arecompleted items, whether the items are sold items, whether the itemswere offered with other deals, coupons, or savings options.Additionally, the filtering and sorting options may include a buyingformat (e.g., auction, buy it now, or offer-acceptance options) or itemcondition (e.g., new or used).

FIG. 9 is a screenshot of an example user interface for visualizing itemprices. In this example, a recommended price of $350 for a 7-day auctionstarting bid has been applied. As depicted, starting prices for similaritems sold in the last 90 days are depicted. The “similar items” link isan example of an interactive user interface element that the user caninvoke from the use interface to specify how similar items aredetermined. Similarly, various options pertaining to the transactiondata that is depicted, such as the time period (e.g., 90 days) may beconfigured by the user through interactive user interface elements.Cross-referencing between particular values and other values, such asthose depicted in FIG. 6, may be included and made accessible to theuser (e.g., via a scrollable region of the user interface).

As another example, multiple different values of attributes of theto-be-listed item may be selected (e.g., via selection from a bar graph)and/or enabled (e.g., via check boxes) from the price visualization userinterface (e.g., auction starting bid and Buy It Now price). Thus, forexample, a Buy It Now Price may be selected from selectable bars of abar graph of price to time-to-sale of similar items sold in the last 90days. Upon selecting and/or enabling one or more of these multipledifference values, the user may be returned to the listing posting userinterface to complete the posting of the listing.

FIG. 10 is a screenshot of example price visualizations that may bepresented to the user as insights (e.g., via the other user interfacesdescribed herein). For example, sales prices of previously-sold itemsthat are similar to a to-be-listed item may be presented as selectableuser interface elements (e.g., within a bar graph) with one or morerecommendations (e.g., indicating a good deal). From the range ofvalues, the user may be able to use the sales information presented todetermine optimal values for inserting into fields of the listingposting user interface, wherein the optimal values satisfy requirementsof the user (e.g., such as requirements to balance a listing price witha time-to-sale of the item).

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or ina transmission signal) or hardware modules. A hardware module is atangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, oneor more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computersystem) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., aprocessor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g.,an application or application portion) as a hardware module thatoperates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. The performance of certain of theoperations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not onlyresiding within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), these operations being accessible via anetwork (e.g., the network 104 of FIG. 1) and via one or moreappropriate interfaces (e.g., APIs).

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them.Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer program product,e.g., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier,e.g., in a machine-readable medium for execution by, or to control theoperation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor,a computer, or multiple computers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Methodoperations can also be performed by, and apparatus of exampleembodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry(e.g., a FPGA or an ASIC).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Inembodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will beappreciated that both hardware and software architectures requireconsideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice ofwhether to implement certain functionality in permanently configuredhardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., acombination of software and a programmable processor), or a combinationof permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be a designchoice. Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and softwarearchitectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computersystem 1800 within which instructions for causing the machine to performany one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed.In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in server-client network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. Themachine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a webappliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions tobe taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include anycollection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (ormultiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 1800 includes a processor 1802 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) orboth), a main memory 1804 and a static memory 1806, which communicatewith each other via a bus 1808. The computer system 1800 may furtherinclude a video display unit 1810 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD)or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 1800 also includes analphanumeric input device 1812 (e.g., a keyboard), a user interface (UI)navigation (or cursor control) device 1814 (e.g., a mouse), a storageunit 1816, a signal generation device 1818 (e.g., a speaker) and anetwork interface device 1820.

The storage unit 1816 includes a machine-readable medium 1822 on whichis stored one or more sets of data structures and instructions 1824(e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 1824 mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory1804 and/or within the processor 1802 during execution thereof by thecomputer system 1800, the main memory 1804 and the processor 1802 alsoconstituting machine-readable media. The instructions 1824 may alsoreside, completely or at least partially, within the static memory 1806.

While the machine-readable medium 1822 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include asingle medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributeddatabase, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one ormore instructions 1824 or data structures. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that iscapable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution bythe machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present embodiments, or that is capable of storing,encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with suchinstructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, andoptical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable mediainclude non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and compact disc-read-only memory (CD-ROM)and digital versatile disc digital video disc) read-only memory(DVD-ROM) disks.

Accordingly, a “tangible machine-readable medium” may refer to a singlestorage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems orstorage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices.Furthermore, the tangible machine-readable medium is non-transitory inthat it does not embody a propagating signal. However, labeling thetangible machine-readable medium as “non-transitory” should not beconstrued to mean that the medium is incapable of movement—the mediumshould be considered as being transportable from one physical locationto another. Additionally, since the machine-readable medium is tangible,the medium may be considered to be a machine-readable device.

The instructions 1824 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 1826 using a transmission medium. Theinstructions 1824 may be transmitted using the network interface device1820 and any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g.,HTTP). Examples of communication networks include a LAN, a WAN, theInternet, mobile telephone networks, POTS networks, and wireless datanetworks (e.g., WiFi and WiMax networks). The term “transmission medium”shall be taken to include any intangible medium capable of storing,encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine, andincludes digital or analog communications signals or other intangiblemedia to facilitate communication of such software. The network 1826 maybe one of the networks 104.

Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specificexample embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications andchanges may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a parthereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specificembodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. Theembodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enablethose skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein.Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more computerprocessors; one or more computer memories; a set of instructionsincorporated into the one or more computer memories, the set ofinstructions configuring the one or more computer processors to performoperations for setting a listing price for an item, the operationscomprising: determining one or more attributes of the item based on dataentered into fields of a listing user interface; identifying one or moreadditional items based on a comparison of one or more attributes of theone or more additional items with the one or more attributes of theitem, each of the one or more additional items having been previously,sold; determining sales information associated with the one or moreadditional items, the sales information including sales prices of theone or additional items and sales time periods of the one or moreadditional items; incorporating a range of suggested prices and at leastsome of the sales information into a selection user interface region ofthe listing user interface; and based on a selection of a suggestedprice from the range of suggested prices, presenting, in the listinguser interface, a preview of a listing of the item as it would appear ina search results page with listings of the one or more additional items.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the incorporating of the range ofsuggested prices and the at least some of the sales information into theselection user interface includes presenting a graph of the sales pricesand the sales times periods, the graph including bars as selectable userinterface elements that represent suggested sales prices that correspondto the sales time periods.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein, based onthe comparison indicating that the item has less value or more valuethan at least some of the one or more additional items, making arecommendation to increase or reduce the selected suggested price. 4.The system of claim 1, wherein the sales information further includesdemand information pertaining to the item, the demand informationderived from a quantity of searches for the item conducted over a timeperiod.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the presenting of the previewof the listing is implemented within the listing user interface suchthat a user need not exit the listing user interface to view thepreview.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the presenting of the previewof the listing occurs within a listing flow implemented by the listinguser interface for listing the item for sale.
 7. The system of claim 1,further comprising, based on an acceptance of the preview, setting thelisting price for the item to the suggested price.
 8. A methodcomprising: determining one or more attributes of an item based on dataentered into fields of a listing user interface; identifying one or moreadditional items based on a comparison of one or more attributes of theone or more additional items with the one or more attributes of the itemeach of the one or more additional items having been previously, sold;determining sales information associated with the one or more additionalitems, the sales information including sales prices of the one oradditional items and sales time periods of the one or more additionalitems; incorporating a range of suggested prices and at least some ofthe sales information into a selection user interface region of thelisting user interface; and based on a selection of a suggested pricefrom the range of suggested prices, presenting, in the listing userinterface, a preview of a listing of the item as it would appear in asearch results page with listings of the one or more additional items.9. The method of claim 8, wherein the incorporating of the range ofsuggested prices and the at least some of the sales information into theselection user interface includes presenting a graph of the sales pricesand the sales times periods, the graph including bars as selectable userinterface elements that represent suggested sales prices that correspondto the sales time periods.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein, based onthe comparison indicating that the item has less value or more valuethan at least some of the one or more additional items, making arecommendation to increase or reduce the selected suggested price. 11.The method of claim 8, wherein the sales information further includesdemand information pertaining to the item, the demand informationderived from a quantity of searches for the item conducted over a timeperiod.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the presenting of the previewof the listing is implemented within the listing user interface suchthat a user need not exit the listing user interface to view thepreview.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the presenting of thepreview of the listing occurs within a listing flow implemented by thelisting user interface for listing the item for sale.
 14. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising, based on an acceptance of the preview,setting the listing price for the item to the suggested price.
 15. Anon-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a set of instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to performoperations, the operations comprising: determining one or moreattributes of an item based on data entered into fields of a listinguser interface; identifying one or more additional items based on acomparison of one or more attributes of the one or more additional itemswith the one or more attributes of the item, each of the one or moreadditional items having been previously sold; determining salesinformation associated with the one or more additional items, the salesinformation including sales prices of the one or additional items andsales time periods of the one or more additional items; incorporating arange of suggested prices and at least some of the sales informationinto a selection user interface region of the listing user interface;and based on a selection of a suggested price from the range ofsuggested prices, presenting, in the listing user interface, a previewof a listing of the item as it would appear in a search results pagewith listings of the one or more additional items.
 16. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theincorporating of the range of suggested prices and the at least some ofthe sales information into the selection user interface includespresenting a graph of the sales prices and the sales times periods, thegraph including bars as selectable user interface elements thatrepresent suggested sales prices that correspond to the sales timeperiods.
 17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15,wherein, based on the comparison indicating that the item has less valueor more value than at least some of the one or more additional items,making a recommendation to increase or reduce the selected suggestedprice.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15,wherein the sales information further includes demand informationpertaining to the item, the demand information derived from a quantityof searches for the item conducted over a time period.
 19. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein thepresenting of the preview of the listing is implemented within thelisting user interface such that a user need not exit the listing userinterface to view the preview.
 20. The non-transitory machine-readablemedium of claim 19, wherein the presenting of the preview of the listingoccurs within a listing flow implemented by the listing user interfacefor listing the item for sale.